Soluble albumin and process of producing it



. Patente .AP 15, 1939 UNITED STAT-ES ELIZABETH M. MEYER, OF NEW YORK, N. "52'.-

SOLUBLE strewn Ann rnoonss or rnonnome in No Drawing.

This invention relates to Water soluble albumin and is herein described as applied to the preparation of water soluble albumin from commercial milk-casein. It has been usuallysupposed that, in order to producea product suitable for food purposes, the casein hadto bedissolved by the aid of an alkali or other powerful chemicals in order to produce an alkaline albuminate. Other methods have been'proposed. a i I r According to the present invention the use of powerful chemicals is avoided, and an edible product is obtained which may be in such a form thatit may be beaten to form a foam or froth like white of egg albumin,

Other features and advantages will herein after appear.

For a source of curde albumin many kinds of casein may be used, but where an edible use a finely granular milk-casein which has been precipitated by acetic acid or any other acid commercially employed for this purpose and which has not been used in substantial 5 excess. Such casein is a commercial product i on the market in granular form, I have the casein is preferably absolutely neutral to litmus. Thisthoroughly washed product may then be dried and stored for future treat- I Drymg, however, is not necessary.

ment. With some kinds of casein, however, and particularly when the process hereinafter,;;described is to be used in the making. creams inedible product, such as veneer glue or a textile finishing compound, then the washing of the casein need not be carried to the same extent as is'desirable'when the product of it my process is' Intended for food purposes.

product is desired it is usually preferable to PATENT orries Application filed Octoberfifi, 1925. .Serial N0. @3366.

I obtained the best product when I mixed 25 to 30 parts by weight of this wet washed casein with about 85 parts of freshly prepared lime suspension. The suspensionwas prepared by slaking two pounds of selected fat quicklime with-one pound of water, and the lime thus-slaked was mixed with water and with this was stirred the 25 to 30 parts of the washed wet casein, equivalent to about 10 to 15 partsof such casein after it had been dried. Preferably part of the water was mixed with v the casein and part with the slaked lime, and the whole mixed to make 100 arts water and three parts lime by weight. he lime suspension of the casein was stirred e0 briskly for a few minutes and then allowed tosettle for a few hours. Other experiments indicated that prolonged stirring, and that a second stirrin after settling had begun, ere 3 both inadvisa ,le. At the end of the sett ing a substantially clear'solution was obtained. By.substantially clear, I mean a solution subsi zantially free of suspended particles' :Ihis'solut-ion, which may be separated from y the suspendedmaterial in any suitable manner, such as by the use of strainers, filters or mechanical separators may be used for some.

purposes as a source of soluble albumin. A

stantially clear solution was put in shallow I trays and dried at a temperature not exceed- I ing F. toform an almost white or creamy White flake, opaque but semitrans lucentx After the solution had completely dried the" resulting flakes were found to be not; quite 455 completely soluble. In order to further increase the solubility of the albumin and to remove nitrogenous gas thereby assuring improved keeping properties and "freedom from odor, these flakes were In I dibasic calcium phosphate, such as is sold on the market under the name of reverted orbone phosphate. The phosphate was used in the form of an exceedingly fine powder. Other tests indicated that to obtain the best product the phosphate should be in the form of avery fine powder and free from acids and that the flakes should be shaken down and packed tight in it preferably in opaque boxes. After storage, usually for some days, depending upon the state of the flakes, the flakes were separated from the phosphate by sifting through a fine mesh sieve which retained the flakes of albumin. It is obvious from.the method of preparing the product as described that but comparatively small amounts of a mineral salt will be present in the final product.

The final flake product thus obtained was then found. to be substantially soluble in water, usually with a very slight alkalinity, and responded to many of the tests for egg albumin, its solution forming a stifi froth when beaten with an egg beater, being coagu'lable by heat and serving well to replace egg albumin in the food materials used to effect.

make cooked roducts such as cake. Any nitrogenous 0 ors were removed from the flake material by the step of storing it in phos hate powder. 1

It as been found that the best product is obtained when the above amount of limesuspension is used. ,Suflicient lime should be used to leave a substantially clear" solution. Any material excess of lime has a deleterious Quick drying of the flakes produces the best final results, a reduced amount of water, however, will rather prevent quick drying to a flake than promote it. Of course,

any approved method of drying commercial dehydrated white of egg is applicable to the drying of the albumin, bearing in mind that regulation of temperature and proper ventilation is essential to prevent bakin or coagulation. According to the metho of dryling emfloyed, the dry albumin obtained may be in ake, granular, shredded, powder, 3r other form; the d ng in flake form bei g ause it produces the a phosphate and separating therefrom as hcreinbefore described. It is found that some other phosphates may be used instead of the dibasic phosphate namedabove, but

the practicably insoluble hosphates appear to be the best material or the purpose in hand. It will be understood, however, that treatmentof the albumin with a phosphate may be omitted if desired.

Having thus described certain embodiments of my invention what I claim is 1. The process of preparing water-soluble albumin which consists in agitating a thoroughly washed milk casein in a large amount of water containing a low percentage of suspended hydrate of lime, and separating the (3%) of suspended hydrate of lime, and

separating the settleable material from the residual substantially clear-solution.

3. The process of preparing a water soluble albumin which consists in agitating a thoroughly washed milk casein in alarge amount of suspended hydrate of lime, separating the settleable material, and evaporating the residual substantially clear solutio to produce an albuminous product.

4. The process of preparing a water soluble albumin which consists in washing an acid-precipitated milk casein with water to completely remove acid, mixing the washed casein with a suspension of hydrate of lime, separating the settleable material, and evaporating the resulting solution.

5. The process of preparing'a water soluble albumin which consists in agitating a thoroughly washed milk casein in a large amount of suspended hydrate of lime, separating the settleable material, evaporating the residual substantially clear solution to produce an albuminous product, storing said product in a phosphate powder, and separatin the phosphate and albuminous product a ter storage together.

6. The process of preparing a water soluble albumin which consists in washing an acid-precipitated milk casein with water to completely remove acid, mixing the washed casein with a suspension of hydrate of lime, separating the settleable material, evaporating the resulting solution to produce a flake, storing the flake in a phosphate powder, and separating the phosphate and flake after storage together.

7. The process of preparing a water soluble albumin which. consists in agitating a thoroughly washed milk'casein in a large amount of suspended hydrate of lime, separating the settleable hydrate of lime, evaporating the residual substantially clear solution to produce an albuminous product pack- I ing the product in ,a dibasic calcium phosstorage.

9. he process of preparing water solflblo settleable material from the residual substanalbumin which coinprises removing adsorbed acidirom milk casein by repeated washings with water, agitating the Washed casein with approximately ten times its weight of water containing about three per cent. by weight .of lime, settling the'mixture and separating 7 the settleable material from theresidual .sub- 7 stantiallyclear solution.

In "testimony whereofil'have affik e'd Signature to this specification.

ELIZABETH M. maYER. 

